The data behind how we train
Hockey by the numbers
What the best hockey tracking data says about where goals come from, how they're prevented, and how players develop. Figures come from NHL and elite-level studies; the habits transfer to every age.
What the best hockey tracking data says about where goals come from, how they're prevented, and how players develop. Figures come from NHL and elite-level studies; the habits transfer to every age.
If you only remember four things from this page, remember these.
About half of all goals are scored from the inner slot, and three-quarters come on shots the goalie can't see cleanly. Location and sight lines matter more than shot speed.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored from the inner slot (high-danger area) | ~50% | The Point |
| League shooting percentage from the inner slot | ~21% | The Point |
| Goals from the outer slot | 25%+ | The Point |
| Goals from above the circles (the "dead zone"), even for elite shooters | <2% | The Point |
| Goals on "green" shots (goalie has under half a second of clear sight) | 76% | Valiquette |
| Goals on "red" shots (goalie set, clear sight), on about three-quarters of all shots | 18% | Valiquette |
| Shot from above the circles, no lateral movement | ~3% go in | Valiquette |
| Same shot after the puck crosses the royal road through the slot | ~33% go in | Valiquette |
| Cross-slot pass right before the shot | 10× the chance | USA Hockey / Valiquette |
Second shots and traffic in front turn ordinary shots into goals.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound shots as a share of all shots | ~5% | Moore, 7,000+ games |
| Rebound shots as a share of goals | 15%+ | Moore |
| Shot taken within 2 seconds of the previous shot | ~4× as likely to score | Moore |
| Window where rebounds convert best | Under 3 sec | Moore |
| Share of "green" goals from screens | 10% | Valiquette |
| Share from deflections | 8% | Valiquette |
| Share from rebounds the goalie couldn't track | 8% | Valiquette |
| Share from same-side one-timers | 9% | Valiquette |
Close to half of 5-on-5 goals come off the rush, and most rushes start with a clean exit or a turnover in the other team's end of the ice.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 5-on-5 goals scored off the rush, recent NHL seasons | 42–48% | All Three Zones |
| Goals within 5 seconds of a zone entry | ~40% | NHL EDGE |
| Rush shots vs. other shot types | Highest shooting % | Puck Over the Glass |
| Rush goals that started in the defensive zone | 65% | All Three Zones |
| Of those, from counter-attacks off turnovers | 41% | All Three Zones |
| Of those, from clean exits and retrievals (the most repeatable source) | 35.5% | All Three Zones |
| Neutral-zone turnovers | Highest-% chances against | All Three Zones |
| Odd-man rushes as a share of rush shots, but a much larger share of rush goals | 11–12% | Puck Over the Glass |
| Passes from the middle of the offensive zone, shooting percentage for eight straight seasons | 10%+ | All Three Zones |
Keeping the puck at both blue lines roughly doubles a team's offense.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shots per entry, carrying the puck in (NHL) | 0.56–0.66 | Tulsky; Novet |
| Shots per entry, dumping it in (NHL) | 0.25–0.29 | Tulsky; Novet |
| Shots per entry in elite women's hockey: carry / pass / chip / dump | 0.73 / 0.54 / 0.21 / 0.14 | PWHPA tracking |
| Exits with possession (carry or pass) that lead to a zone entry | ~89% | Hockey Graphs |
| Uncontrolled clears that lead to a zone entry | ~20% | Hockey Graphs |
| Clears the team wins back in the neutral zone | Back to ~89% | Hockey Graphs |
| Teams that dump more in the neutral zone: fewer turnovers and odd-man rushes against, but half the shots per entry | Trade-off | The Point |
Pressure on the puck carrier is what turns a forecheck into offense, and time spent in the offensive zone predicts winning better than almost anything else.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exits that fail to become entries when the retriever is pressured (within a stride, closing) | 78% | Hockey Graphs |
| Exits that fail without pressure | 46% | Hockey Graphs |
| Controlled carry-outs that succeed under pressure | 4% | Hockey Graphs |
| Controlled carry-outs that succeed without pressure | 19% | Hockey Graphs |
| How pressure works: it forces worse exit types (chips, rims, turnovers) | Mechanism | Hockey Graphs |
| Offensive-zone possession time differential vs. season goal differential; as predictive as full expected-goals models | r = 0.77 | Waterloo, LINHAC 2024 |
| Overall possession share vs. goal differential | r = 0.56 | Waterloo, LINHAC 2024 |
Starting fast and changing early are two of the cheapest edges in hockey.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Win rate for the team that scores first (NHL, 2024–26) | 66.5% | Sound of Hockey |
| Home team scores first | 69.6% | Sound of Hockey |
| Away team scores first | 63.0% | Sound of Hockey |
| Favorite scores first | 77.6% | Sound of Hockey |
| Underdog scores first | ~52% | Sound of Hockey |
| After the other team ties it, in even matchups | 49.9% | Sound of Hockey |
| Shot rates by shift length: highest in the first 15 seconds, even from 15–40, then shots against rise and shots for fall | 40 sec | McCurdy, via Hockey's Arsenal |
| Typical NHL shift; analysts recommend 30–40 seconds at full effort | 35–45 sec | Seattle Kraken |
Players develop fastest with more touches, more decisions and more encouragement.
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Passes and shots per player, cross-ice vs. full-ice at 10U | 3–4× more | USA Hockey |
| Most useful format for 9–10 year olds: small-area 3-on-3 and 4-on-4. Full-ice 5-on-5 was the least helpful | 84 players | Charles University, Prague, 2013 |
| Positive-to-negative feedback ratio where kids thrive; attitude turned "despairing" at 2:1 and 1:1 | 5:1 | Kirkhart, via PCA |
| Athletes with positively trained coaches: significantly higher self-esteem over the season; low-self-esteem players gained most | Higher | Smith & Smoll, via PCA |
| Return rate the next season under positive coaches | Significantly higher | Smith & Smoll, via PCA |
Every finding above shows up somewhere in how we run a session.
Every number on this page comes from one of these studies. Read them; they're good.
Most of these figures come from adult men's professional hockey, which is where the best tracking data exists. The one elite women's study (PWHPA zone entries) shows the same pattern, even more strongly. Page last updated September 2026.
Every BTP program is built around skating, stickhandling and shooting, with small-area games, net-front habits and decision-making woven in.